Seafood Industry Set to Hire More Than 4,000 Processors

ANCHORAGE—Alaskans looking for summer employment have the opportunity to work in the seafood processing industry. Employers are recruiting for more than 4,000 full-time temporary seafood workers and most offer transportation, room and board benefits for those who successfully complete their contract. Alaskans seeking to work in the seafood industry can consider current openings in Dutch Harbor, Naknek and Juneau just to name a few locations, and more than fourteen seafood processing employers have openings at this time.

“Workers may contact their nearest Alaska Job Center to apply,” said Bernardita Dobson, lead Employment Services Technician in the Seafood Employment Office at the Anchorage Midtown Job Center. “These jobs provide an excellent opportunity for people who enjoy physical work, want to establish a work history, earn and save money quickly, move up the career ladder, and see other parts of Alaska.”

The seafood processing industry has been working in partnership with the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development to improve the rate of Alaska resident hire. Employing Alaskans can save seafood processors money by avoiding the cost of hiring foreign labor brokers, paying fees for labor importation, as well as reducing the high cost of transporting those foreign workers to Alaska.

“The seafood processing industry is the largest employer of nonresident hires in our state,” said Labor Commissioner Dr. Tamika L. Ledbetter. “With Alaska residents making up less than 25 percent of the seafood processing workforce, we need to focus on recruiting Alaskans first. We encourage and appreciate employers who make efforts to recruit Alaskans who depend on this seasonal income to support their families and local economies where unemployment rates are high.”

• Job seekers may view a 20-minute seafood processing orientation available online at jobs.alaska.gov/seafood/processing.html to know what to expect in this line of work.
• Job openings are posted in Alaska’s Labor Exchange System (ALEXsys) at www.jobs.alaska.gov; including higher paying skilled and technical positions
• Job seekers may sign up for seafood jobs e-mail alerts online at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/AKDOL/subscriber/new?topic_id=AKDOL_87
• Job seekers who live in rural areas are encouraged to call the Anchorage Seafood Employment Office at 1-800-473-0688 or their nearest Alaska Job Center www.jobs.alaska.gov/offices/index.html for more information.